As the Crow Flies
by Lady Avarice
Summary: Some people have Guardian Angels. Others have something a bit ..... different. Burn a little brighter, die a little harder, and draw another breath just so you keep on breathing. xover with Crow
1. In News Today

_In news today, two new vicitms of Mephisto have been confirmed. The bodies of Sarah and Erik Draven were found in their loft earlier this week, Sarah having recently given birth. Both bodies showed signs of severe torture before death. The loft was empty when authorities arrived, Mephisto's calling card, the Laughing Devil, clearly burnt on the wall. Police have confirmed the mark is authentic based on the unique chemical makeup of the accelerant. There is no news of whether the child survived…_


	2. Ch 1 Forceful Redmeption

"_Birds of a feather flock together,  
And so will pigs and swine;  
Rats and mice will have their choice,  
And so will I have mine_."

"Who the blazes!?"

"_What do you think, Ethan Kane? Hmm?"_

"What? Who's there?"

It was dark in the office building. The guards having let him run in to grab something from his office for an important case the next day.

"_Of Mephisto, of course. You've been helping him, obscuring his trail after all. Making sure what little evidence there is vanishes_."

"I have done no such thing! You can't prove it!" The man was twitching now, like a mouse cornered by a particularly precocious cat.

"_Don't have to prove what I've witnessed_."

"Impossible! Even if what you claim is true Mephisto never left a witness!"

"_Improbable, not impossible, and yes, I know. You'll be the first_."

"First what!?"

"_The first to atone. For what you helped do to Erik and Sarah and their son._"

"I have nothing to atone for!"

"_Yes you do. And if you refuse to believe it, see this as a forceful redemption. We're all redeemed in death after all_."

"I'll have your head for this, you can't threaten me!"

"_It's not a threat_."

"What?"

Crack!

"_It's a promise_."


	3. CH 2 Seven Years Later

One little boy sat in a dirty alley. Solo was gone. The gang would be too soon if he couldn't find enough food for them. But he wouldn't cry in front of them. He was the strong one, the leader. And the leader never let anyone else know he was hurting inside even when all he wanted to do was curl up and cry.

"Hey there."

His head snapped up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. At first he wasn't sure he wasn't hallucinating. Even his survival hardened eyes didn't spot her at first. When she moved it seemed like she was flowing out of the shadows as naturally as someone else would slide out of a coat.

It was a dangerous way to move.

"Easy, not here to cause trouble for you."

"Then what? Drugs? A trick? Don't do neither, try the next block."

"Not here for either of those things, Little Bird."

The gentle tone she spoke with startled him, but the nickname… he'd thought he lost that memory before he'd met Solo.

"Who are you?"

"Someone trying to watch out for you. Knew your parents. Ya got your mom's bones and your dad's eyes."

He couldn't help but gape at the woman as she stepped out of the shadows. Now he could see that her hair was long and shiny black, like that rock… obsidian, he'd seen some dock workers taking off the asteroid ships. Her skin was paler than his own, a small marvel on a space colony, and her eyes… her eyes seemed to flash with sparks of green and gold when the light hit them, but otherwise they were deep, dark black.

"Ya knew them?" Was that his voice sounding so soft and unsure?

"Yeah. Erik and Sarah. Sweetest people you'd ever want to meet. Sarah's face lit up like the sun when she heard she was pregnant with you."

"Why'd they leave me then?"

"Didn't have a choice, Bird. They were killed. Mephisto thought they'd be 'a truly lovely work'. Your godmother managed to grab you up and run as Mephisto was bustin' in. Erik wouldn't leave Sarah, and Sarah was far too weak to run. She managed to get you off Earth and up here to L2. Then, well, her luck ran out. Flame-brain caught up with her after she'd hid you. Demanded to know where you were, wanted to finish his work. She wouldn't tell. Did his absolute worst to her, but she never said a thing."

The boy's face paled. EVERYONE knew who Mephisto was, even the people in backwater L2.

"They all died? Because of me?"

"Nah hun, never because of you. They died giving you a chance. Mephisto is a sicko who gets off on destroying lives and hurting people."

"But, they died."

"Sweetie, look at me."

He wasn't quite sure when she'd knelt down in front of him, gently catching his chin and making him meet her gaze. Black was supposed to be scary. 'No light, no sight.' But the black in her eyes was warm, like hiding under a warm blanket in the cold.

"It is NOT your fault Erik and Sarah are gone. It is NOT your fault that your godmother died. If it was ever anyone's fault it was Mephisto's for taking that which he has no right to."

"But Solo, the gang…"

"Honey, sometimes people just die no matter how much we love and want them to live. But I know, for danged-stinkin' FACT, that they're out there, watching over you."

"You sure?"

"Of course! Ever wondered where that nice little pendant you got came from?"

"This?"

His hand went to the neck of his shirt, tugging at a sturdy leather cord and pulling out a silver pendant shaped a bit like an eye.

"Yup. The Eye of the Crow. Protects the one it's given too from Death and the angry dead."

"What's that mean?"

"Means you've got something special watching out for you and the only dead to ever really touch you will be those that mean no harm."

"Dead!? Touch!?"

"Well yeah, someone's got to watch out for you, right? Ever get out of a hairy situation that you shouldn't have? Snuck something that should have gotten you caught? That's your dead watching your back, making sure that if you're not comfortable, you're at least alive. And no kidding yourself, dead may be easy, but it's final. So long as you've still got a heartbeat you've still got hope for something better."

"Ya mean it?"

"Yup. Guaranteed."

He couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"So Solo's…"

"Not really gone? Nope. So long as you hold him in your mind and your heart he'll always be tailing you, ready to help out when he can. Same as your parents. And I just bet they're spoiling him right now, seeing as how you two are brothers and all."

"How did you!?" he was cut off when the lady gently, but firmly, held his lips together.

"Some things you're better off not knowing just yet, Bird."

He gave a small nod and she pulled her hand away. He had more questions, but he tried to pick them carefully. By her smile the lady knew too.

"Do you… did my mom and dad name me?"

"They didn't have time, Little Bird. And your godmother was so busy running that she only had time to give you your nickname before they caught up. Heh, you used to chirp at her like a little bird." She looked very sad for that fact.

"Oh."

"But, I don't think your folks would mind you keeping the name you're thinking of."

"Huh? You mean Duo?"

There was a brush of warm air against his cheek that fluttered his hair and hers. That shouldn't be possible on a space colony. And by the smirk on her face the lady knew it too.

"Looks like, don't it?"

For the first time in a long time, he smiled for real.

The moment was broken by the sounds of men shouting. The lady whipped her head up, seeming to listen even though they were too far away to hear.

"Listen, Little Bird, you've got to hide. I'll draw them away."

"Who are they?"

"Mephisto's thugs."

His skin went white. This was honestly the first time he could remember being really and truly afraid.

"Don't worry, he's been after me for a while and hasn't caught me yet. But if he knows you're here you're gonna get hurt. Now run and take care of your gang."

"You're really gonna be fine?"

She smiled at him again, making a weird sort of fluttery feeling rise up in his stomach. He kinda liked it. He was still as she leaned down and whispered words he'd remember the rest of his life in his ear. He gave a brief nod before vanishing down the alley and away, confidence back in every move.

"Take care, Little Bird."

By the time the angry men got to the alley it was empty.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"_My pretty Little Bird, sing a song for me,_

_Smile and please pray for me, in sweet reverie….._"

A shadowed form watched the scene from atop an abandoned warehouse nearby. It had taken them this long to find her. Not that there was much left to begin with. Oddly, she wasn't as sad about that as she should have been. A few bits of the conversation between the police swarming the site below drifted up to her.

"…don't know why he'd go this far. This is brutal even for Mephisto."

"You're sure it's one of his kills?"

"The Devil's on the door. No one can imitate that."

"I feel bad for her. She must have really pissed him off to get him to do this to her."

"I hope whatever it was, was worth it."

She watched apathetically as they moved the body to the waiting body bag.

It was so odd.

After over seven years the body had been burned and decayed almost to the point of being skeletal, despite being stowed in that old meat locker.

But…

Her face was perfectly whole and unmarred.

One of the policemen paused to gently close the dead woman's dark eyes, still staring defiantly at the figure of her murderer as she was killed.

The bag was zipped shut.

The woman on the hill was gone.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_In news tonight the body of a woman was found in an abandoned processing plant near Sector 6. The victim has been identified as one of Mephisto's, the Laughing Devil found on the door to the locker where the woman's body was discovered. Authorities believe the woman must have angered her killer as the violence exceeds all previous efforts of Mephisto. Coroners place the death approximately seven and a half to eight years ago. Degradation of the body prevents further narrowing of the time of death. The victim's face was remarkably intact and photographs will be making their way to the new stations in the near future._

_Police have seen fit to release details of a letter found at the scene. The letter was brief, "She ruined one of my best works. Now I'll ruin her. Good luck figuring out who she was."_

_This may be the first victim of Mephisto's that will go unidentified…_


	4. CH 3 When Angels Cry

"Sister Helen!? Father Maxwell!?"

All around the boy the broken church sputtered and splintered. Crackling as flames ate away at the once inviting structure.

Well, as inviting as anything on L2 got anyway.

"Duo?"

"Sister Helen!"

Small feet tripped and stumbled along the debris strewn floor to where the woman lay. Her body was broken but even now her spirit was shining strong in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Duo. I'm going to be leaving you soon. But I'll always watch over you."

He couldn't help the tears streaming down his face. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

"I know, but I'll miss you. Say 'hi' to my mom and dad for me? An… and Solo too? Let them know I love them and I miss them?"

"Of course, sweetie. Here, take this with you. The Father wanted you to have it, but he couldn't hang on that long."

A little golden crucifix nestled against his chest, resting just above the silver Eye.

"I'll never lose it, Sister Helen. I promise."

The woman smiled at him, a few of her own tears slipping free as she brought a hand up to cup the boy's cheek. "I know sweetie. You may run and hide, but you never tell a lie."

The little boy buried his head against the dying woman's chest even as she used the last of her strength to give him one last hug.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

'_You'll protect him?_'

'_I've been protecting him from the moment he was born_.'

The two spirits looked to be complete opposites, yin and yang.

'_He's lost so much_.'

'_I know. And I'm afraid he might lose more, though I'll do everything I can to prevent it._'

The blonde raised her eyes from the scene of the small boy, God how small, hugging her former shell to the woman standing next to her.

Her hair was long and black as coal, equally dark eyes watching the heart wrenching scene below them. In life her skin must have been dark, but now it only seemed just dark enough to pass for living. Draped in a long black coat, black boots were visible just past the hem. The darkness seemed as much of her as she was of it. Sorrow was thick in her bones, pervading everything about her, yet there was a warmth there when she looked at the boy. And the black eyes would show just a hint of green and gold.

'_Are you an angel then?_'

The woman raised her eyes to hers and she was struck by the sheer depth of the sorrow and pain there.

'_No, Sister. I will never be anything so pure. I'm just another jackdaw, another blackbird among a lost flock._'

And then, she was gone.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The boy could swear he'd felt the gentle press of lips to his forehead and warm arms wrapping around his shoulders for just a moment. They seemed to give him the strength to gather himself. Looking to the shells of the people who'd been so kind to him he whispered a final goodbye, and ran.


	5. CH 4 Turn the Day

"_My pretty Little Bird, sing a song for me_"

"Hello? Someone there?" Curious and confused the future pilot set his wrench down, reaching for a gun hidden discretely in his toolbox.

"_Just another chorus, or please hum a melody…_"

"Who's there?" He edged back until he was facing the only shadowed part of the hangar, hand steady and gun pointed to the ground.

"_Hello, _Little Bird."

When he finally got a clear view of the woman walking out of the shadows all the tension left his small figure.

"Oh thank any and all gods."

Whatever the woman was expecting, it wasn't to be tackle-glomped by a teenage boy. Taking a moment to recover she smiled, hugging him back just as fiercely.

"I thought you'd died I hadn't seen you in so long."

"I promised you I'd stick around, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did."

He didn't comment on how cool her body felt against his, or at the paleness of her skin. He was just happy to have her back for whatever moments she could spare. Just to know that someone was out there that cared about him was enough to make him teary-eyed. The woman was not about to let him get mopey.

"Hey, since when are you getting taller than me? No fair!"

That wrung a surprised laugh out of him and he finally loosened up his hold on her enough that she could breathe without wheezing.

"You doing ok? Getting enough food, learning?"

"Yeah. Not ideal, but I'm learning. Doc G seems to actually care about me a little bit, tries to make sure I get the regular stuff on top of everything else. And even if I miss a meal there's always something to eat if I need it."

"Good. You're doing real good for yourself here, Little Bird."

"Well, I'm trying."

"And you're doing." She smiled at him and he could see the difference it made in her features. It was like staring at someone totally different. A little chuckle left her lips as she brushed a bit of his hair from his face and tucked it behind his ear.

"I can't stay much longer, Little Bird, but I wanted to tell you something while I could."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Happy Birthday."

He was shocked. He hadn't known what his birthday was. Before he could recover he felt a soft pressure to his cheek and her making his fingers curl around something pressed into his palm, and she was gone.

"Duo?"

Doctor G had hobbled into the hangar, curious as to what his student could be up to. It was late, but then again it wouldn't be the first time insomnia struck the boy and he always seemed to deal better when he was working on something. The shocked look on his face wasn't something he expected.

"Duo? Are you alright?"

The scientist's voice seemed to snap him out of his thoughts and bring him back to the real world.

"Huh? Oh! Hi Doc, what's up?"

"Duo, maybe you should go to bed. You were staring into space with a rather shocked looked just a moment ago."

"I'm fine. Just… just had a bit of a revelation is all." There was a rare, genuine smile on the boy's face and the doctor relaxed.

"Alright then. Take care, Duo."

"You too, Doc." Still smiling he wished the old man a good night and walked out of the hangar, back towards his quarters. Peeking into his hand he smiled again.

The little silver bird on the knife twinkled benignly back.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"What's going on!?" The elegant man raged as he stuck a hot poker in hid victim's side. The screams were nice, but not the best he'd ever gotten. Growling in aggravation he tossed the poker aside, looking through his tools for the next instrument.

"I'm losing contacts left and right. Murdered in some of the most secure places, sometimes right under their guards' noses! I need those idiots to keep shuffling the crumbs under the rug, but all of them keep dying! And all with those damned feathers!"

Roaring he picked up a dagger and slammed it into the poor man's side, puncturing a lung. After that the man's end was mercifully quick.

"DAMNIT!"

Mephisto slammed him hands against the tray of tools.

"Brother, brother. Not forever. Black little birdie hides a secret. Finish the ruined work!"

"Oh?"

"Yeeeeesssssss." The woman was obviously mad, the only glitter in her eyes malice and tragedy.

"Tell me more?" The man grinned, cupping his sister's cheek. She was the only one he'd never dare hurt. Unless she asked for it.

"Little Bird sings so sweetly, brother. Can't find the Little Bird until he sings. Then the King and his men shall snatch up a pie of blackbirds all so pretty for plucking!"

"Oh he'll sing, sister. I'll make him sing just for you."

The woman gave a girlish giggle and clapped her hands in glee.

Out smarted again.

But not forever.


	6. CH 5 Black Theif

AN: RL sucks.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Damnit! Where is it!?"

Though he'd only met the American pilot recently the rather growling tone was not something he believed to be the norm. Especially combined with him ripping through the cabinets along the side of the hangar. He hadn't even bothered taking off his jacket and shirt in the heat, just grabbed at it until the top buttons either came undone or came off revealing two pendants around his neck.

"Duo?"

"Fuck off!"

He must have made some sort of noise in surprise because Duo whirled around, looking ready to kill, before he registered just who it was he'd told off.

"Aw shit. Sorry, Quat."

"What's wrong, Duo?" Now this was a little more normal. Duo was an intense person, and it was looking like he'd gone back down to normal intense.

Not Shinigami's-gonna-kick-your-ass-with-a-rusty-spork intense.

"I have this little knife with a silver bird on the side. It was a gift. Hell, it's one of the few I ever remember getting! I really…. I just need to find it." His voice had gone from normal and angry to soft and upset.

Not good.

"Well, why don't I help you?"

"Really? Thanks Quat."

"Sure, it's what friends do after all."

Duo's face split in a grin at that.

"Ok, so where were you last time you had it?"

"I was doing some maintenance on Scythe. I remember using it to slice through some of the rubber matting for the wire bases and putting it back in my boot sheath. I didn't take it out again."

The pilot was clearly upset, confused and frustrated.

"_Caw!_"

"Huh?" "What the!?"

"_Caw!_"

"A crow?"

"Oh dear, those things are known to take shiny objects."

"So you think…"

"That you got your pocket dipped by a bird? Yes."

"Why Q-bean I didn't think you knew what that meant!"

"Just because I look naïve doesn't mean I am."

"Point."

"So, how are we going to get your knife from it?"

The two pilots looked up to the rafters, seeing the raven stare back, seemingly amused.

"Oi! Give me back my knife you brat!"

"Duo!" The blonde didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated.

"I don't think that's going to.."

The words stopped in his throat as the black bird swooped down and landed on the brunette's shoulder.

"Well?"

The bird looked at Duo, then at his chest.

Then at Duo.

Then at his chest again, and tapped its beak on one of the pendants.

Duo raised an eyebrow.

The bird took off.

And Quatre was horribly confused.

"_Caw_!"

"Thank you." Duo smiled and slipped the knife back in its proper sheath and the black bird fluffed his bangs a bit, looking rather contented with its perch.

Quatre was brought out of his stunned daze when the other pilots walked into the hangar.

Much to everyone's surprise the bird instantly zeroed in on the Japanese pilot, arched it's wings, fluffed it's chest out and _hissed_ at him.

"Hn. Stupid bird better not shit on Wing."

The pilot's didn't know whether to be more stunned by the bird on Dou's shoulder, or Heero's more-than-one-syllable answer.

The crow gave the pilot a rather menacing glare, nearly on par with his own, before flapping back up into the rafters.

"That was really rude, 'Ro."

"Hn. Who cares? Just a stupid bird."

Splat.

"_Caw_!"

There was suspicious silence for a handful of moments.

And then Wufei snorted as he tried to contain his laughter.

"Look at it this way 'Ro, it wasn't your gundam."

The glare the Wing pilot gave Duo for that comment was more than enough to strip paint.

Duo resolved to stay out of Heero's way until he'd thoroughly washed his hair, and not mention birds of any kind for at least a month.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"_Was that really necessary?"_

"_Caw."_

"_Yes, he smiled. But still…"_

"_Cawcaw!"_

"_Alright, alright, he did need that pipe up his rear loosened a bit. Happy?"_

"_Cawwww."_

"_Pfft. Silly bird."_

_For all their alertness, all their skill, the five boys never saw the woman enter or leave the hanger, the crow on her shoulder._

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Things were just stressful in spades. Seriously, Heero should know better than to mouth off to a smart bird. It's not the bird's fault there was a stick up his ass.

Finally back in his room, Duo started humming a song he wasn't quite sure he ever remembered hearing.


	7. CH 6 Feathers and a Letter

"Hey, 'Ro?"

"Hn?"

"Can you search for something for me?"

"Hn?"

"The names Erik and Sarah in relation to Mephisto."

"Nani?"

Usually the Perfect Soldier would just brush off the request, but with a name like Mephisto attached... even J told him if given the chance take him out or, worse situation, kill himself before the psycho could 'play' with him.

The other four pilots sitting in the living room of the safe house looked about as shocked as he felt. Hopefully Trowa's jaw wasn't permanently unhinged.

"From about 15 years ago. Please? I've tried but I just can't find anything."

He'd never heard the Bouncing Braided BakaTM actually ask for anything seriously, and not with Shinigami haunting the back of his gaze.

"Hn."

"Thanks Heero."

This day was officially in the realms of surreal.

Wufei rubbing his glasses on his tunic like a flustered librarian just proved it.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

This was just too stressful. She'd age before her time at this rate! She was Countess Nichole De Arbour, Speaker for the New European Senate. If nothing else she was a Lady who knew how to work the political circuits, as well as the bribery and payoffs that fueled those circuits. She considered herself smart to not turn them away out of a silly little sentiment like 'morals'.

"_Bad lady. Shouldn't lie_."

"What? Who's there?"

"_Lying's wrong. Only ever gets you in trouble!_"

She scowled. How in the hell had a little girl managed to sneak into her house!?

"Where are you brat? I'm going to teach you a lesson."

"_Mary Anne Cotter's a liar and rotten,_"

"Then she's wise! Where are you?" She was furious. How dare this little girl presume to lecture her! An odd stinging sensation hit her neck, pausing her tirade as an odd feeling of heaviness settled over her.

"_Now she lies in her bed, so soon to be_"

The girl's voice was different. It was hard to tell around the fog and the fire that was growing in her veins. She had to teach that brat a lesson. She had to…

Thud.

"_Dead._"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A tall, lean boy stepped to the door quietly. There was the dead woman, empty hypo still in her neck. He hadn't expected to come across anything like this while undercover.

Granted, finding dead bodies wasn't as abnormal as it should be for someone his age, and this one was more intact than most.

Still…

Who killed a woman and then left her nearly buried under a pile of black feathers?

"Hey guys, there's a letter here."

_It's sad when one human is willing to throw away the lives of others._

_She won't make that mistake again._

_You're down by one, Mephisto. _

_I'll save the King for last._

"Damn. There's a bunch of files over here. From what's on top I think they're all related to Mephisto cases."

"Well, looks like someone's taking down the castle a brick at a time."

The two officers were surprised to hear the young recruit speak so calmly.

He'd vanished by the time they made it back to base.

The other pilots would want to know about this.


	8. Ch 7 Slip Away

Gods he hurt. Even his braid ached.

Well, maybe not quite that much, but pretty close!

This was supposed to be a routine scouting mission. Get in, get info, get out. Easy.

-Pfft. Yeah, if it weren't for the friggin' huge ambush!-

How was he going to get out of this one? He'd been caught, beaten enough so that it hurt to –exist- let alone move, and locked in a small room with only one door that bolted from the outside.

"Fuck."

"_Caw_!'

"What the …?"

Slowly a pitch black feather fluttered down to rest on his stomach. Picking it up he twirled it between his fingers, eyeing it curiously. There weren't any birds on the colonies. Not unless they were special birds owned by the rich.

There was no way in the seven layers of hell a crow or raven would be deliberately brought up to the colony, or even accidentally!

And why was it not hurting so much to breathe?

There was another caw and the sound of flapping wings. And the soft click of the lock.

Grinning slightly he wobbled to his feet and slipped out the unlocked door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Duo!" Four pilots snapped out of their mission-induced stupor to stare at the figure hobbling through the door.

"Hey guys. Please, no glomping Quat, still kinda hurts to exist."

The Arabian just turned a would-be hug into a gentle patting to find any and all wounds before shoving Duo towards the couch. Behold the Mother Hen.

"How did you get out?"

"Some guard must have left the door open. I just nudged it and it popped. I wasn't expecting it, but far be it from me to snub divine intervention."

Two pilots fussed, one quietly, one like a mother hen. Another pilot went taka-taka-ing away on his laptop, sending vital information to the Doctors.

One pilot was studying the way the returned pilot's hand was grasped around a black feather, brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, kid."

"Huh? Who's there?"

"Right behind you, kid."

Spinning in place he found a young man, probably mid-twenties, with straight black hair and warm black eyes smiling at him.

"You… seem familiar."

"Yeah. No worries."

"Do I know you?"

"For an instant and an eternity."

That phrase struck a familiar chord in his long-ago memory. Taking a good hard look at the man's face it finally clicked.

"Dad?"

"Hey, son."

With a surprised shout he found himself in his father's arms.

"I can't keep this up forever, kid. I'm sorry. But we've still got a good chunk of time left for now."

"Hey, at least I got to see you. Will I be able to see Mom or my godmother?"

"I don't think so. The only reason you're able to see me is because of the Eye of the Crow. "

"That's ok, I guess. Not like they wanted to leave."

"None of us did, kiddo. But you sure as hell made us proud."

"Really? But, all the mistakes…"

"You're only human, Duo. And humans make mistakes."

"Still, why do good people have to die and the bad ones keep surviving?"

"The death gods can't play favorites. Death happens to everybody eventually, it's the only guaranteed thing in life."

"True enough. Pfft, I should know with that code name I use."

"Dang straight."

"Nope, bent as an L2 alley."

That got a chuckle and a smile from the man as the younger one grinned. Slowly, his expression sobered.

"Hey, why show up now?"

"I wasn't allowed to before. You needed to concentrate on winning, on surviving. There was no time for 'mystical bullshit'."

"And I do now?"

"You need something. And this is something I can give, even if it's not much."

"Hey, it's more than I had."

"Thanks. Now, how would you like to learn to play the guitar?"

Duo's grin nearly split his face.


	9. CH 8 Burried Roots

It was an odd day when Heero Yuy looked… sulky.

Giving what could be interpreted as an apologetic grunt he placed a small pile of papers in Duo's lap.

"This it?"

"Hn."

"Thanks 'Ro. This is more than I was hoping for."

There were only a few sheets, Erik and Sarah's info from before Mephisto targeted them, a few pictures from the club they'd both worked in and a note stating all papers and files relating to their case were listed on hard copy only 'to be transferred' at a later date.

"Duo? What's that?"

He'd be so soaked in his perusal he hadn't noticed the Sandrock pilot slip into the room.

"'Ro found some stuff on Erik and Sarah for me."

"Oh?"

Perching on the armrest of the sofa he scanned over the topmost documents. After a moment his brow furrowed a bit in confusion.

"You look like him but have her coloring."

"Well yeah, they were my parents, Q."

"Bwah!?"

A thud came from near the door, followed by the sounds of barely suppressed snickering. Dou couldn't help but grin. Quatre was caught flatfooted and Trowa was shocked into laughter.

Two points!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Stupid peons. Why bother me with their worthless little lives…" The figure at the large mahogany desk grumbled, sounding like a bear poked with a stick.

Giles Eddenbury had time for no one that did him any good.

Almost on cue the telephone rang. The number was one of the few he answered promptly.

"Commander Eddenbury."

~*~_same time, elsewhere_ ~*~

"I have some … papers I need to have lost."

"Of course, as usua _*gack*_"

"Eddenbury?"

The man frowned as he heard shuffling sounds and a soft thud from the other side of the phone.

"Eddenbgury, you there?"

"_Kingy, Kingy's down by two._"

"Who is this?"

"_Will Kingy cry? Boohoo?_ " Girlish giggling followed the inane rhyme.

The man growled the sound practically radiating malice. He wanted the little girl off the phone and that idiot Eddenbury back on. "I'm warning you, bitch, put him back on!"

"_So sorry Kingy, but Mr. Bad-mans won't be waking up again. Ever._"

The change in voice from girl to rasp was surprising, but he was too pissed off to care.

"Listen here bitch, "

"_Not a chance in Hell, Mephisto. Not a chance in __**Hell**__._"

Click.

He blinked and looked at the phone in his hand before throwing it into the wall in a rage.

"FUCKING BITCH!"

His sister sat near the door, reveling in the destruction and violence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was little notice given to men found with bullet holes in their bodies during a war. Only two things made this one stand out. One was his rank in OZ.

Another was that his body was found covered in black feathers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Maxwell?"

Padding quietly through the halls of yet another of Winner's massive homes he picked up the faint sound of guitar string.

I painted your room at  
Midnight, so I'd know  
Yesterday was over

"Maxwell?"

I put all your books  
On the top shelf,  
Even the one with  
The four leaf clover

"Maxwell?"

"Huh?"

The violet-eyed pilot's head snapped up as Wufei carefully entered the room.

"Maxwell, Barton wanted me to let you know dinner was ready. Where did you…"

"Where did I what? Go ahead 'Fei."

Forcing himself to ignore the butchering of his name he fished up the rest of his question.

"Where did you learn to play?"

"This?" He pulled the guitar up, light reflecting off the polished wood surface of the old acoustic. "My dad knew. Figured I'd better see if I was any good at it."

It took a moment for Wufei to register that his comrade was waiting for a rebuke or criticism.

"Well, I think you've done admirably. Come, dinner's getting cold."

Duo blinked in shock at the spot where his com… his _friend_ had just been, a slow, wondering smile spreading across his lips. He thought he could hear a faint voice as he packed up the guitar for later.

'_Good work, kiddo._'


	10. CH 9 Tell a Tale

AN: The song in this story is "The Howling" by Within Temptation. The myth is of my own making.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*

"Well, that's interesting."

"What's interesting, Fei?"

The Asian pilot merely arched an eyebrow and ignored the name butchery. He found if he didn't make a big deal of it, it happened less.

Usually.

"Here."

It was uncommon for the pilot to hand over a book he was in the midst of reading. Brow furrowing a bit he leaned closer, reading over the other pilot's shoulder.

_Listen closely, child of the land, to the tale I tell._

_The Path in the night sky that leads to the Plains was not always there. As souls left their bodies they could not find the way Home, and so their souls became the crows. White Eagle, looking down from the heavens, was saddened by the number of souls unable to find their way to their rest. So, he made the Path, lighting lanterns as he went, marking the trail for all to see. This made the Path clear to all, which is now called the Milky Way._

_Still, crows remained on the Earth. Sometimes, it's said that those who are killed violently before their time linger, waiting to see justice done. Others say that if there is a great evil walking among the children of the land, a soul will be chosen to return to earth to stop them. This soul is then called the Crow, spoken to by the souls of the dead, seeking vengeance for the life that was wrongly stolen._

"That's pretty heavy, Fei."

"There are other references that say that the Crow looks human until forced to show itself. Or in the act of revenge. There's also one that talks of the Crow turning into a flock of birds to take down its prey. Or that it's a demon. There's also a pendant mentioned that would protect someone from the Crow should they ever be targeted."

"Whoa. Uh…."

"Hmm?" The Chinese pilot realized he'd been almost rambling and mentally smacked himself.

"What brought this on?"

"I saw your pendant the other day."

"This?" The braided pilot pulled his cross from the neck of his shirt. "You already knew I had this."

"No, your other pendant."

Duo's eyes went wide. "Oh."

"I have to ask…"

"What?"

"Do you actually believe in any of this?"

"Honestly? Yup."

"How can you be sure?"

"This from someone who named his gundam after his wife to embrace her fighting spirit?"

"….. point."

"We all have our own version of proof. I have all I need even if no one else ever does."

"Fair enough, Maxwell."

"It's Duo, Fei. I know you may like being called by your sur name, but I don't. It's too stiff."

"I am merely being formal."

"In times like what we've got now, I'd rather have a relaxed friend than a formal coworker. Later, Fei."

How was it that the braided pilot left him with more questions than he had answers!?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Someone will have to go undercover at the club."

"What as?"

"A performer. Thing is, besides Trowa's flute and my violin, I don't think any of us play anything, and our's won't fit in. The music there is mostly old earth stuff, heavy metal mostly."

"Maxwell can do it."

"Huh!?" Four sets of startled eyes turned towards the Chinese pilot.

"He can play guitar. And sing. He's good. Let him do it."

"He can carry a tune?"

"Better than you can Yui."

"Hn. Duo will take that part then."

"Agreed. What else do we need to cover?"

The planning went on for hours, but one pilot couldn't completely suppress the warm feeling that settled in his chest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm nervous about this."

"Don't worry so much, performing is in your blood."

"Seriously?"

"Yup, your mom and I were both musicians. She was wonderful with ballad types and I was more towards rock and heavy metal."

"I hope you mean the old world stuff. The new stuff is crap!"

"Amen."

The two smiled at each other and got down to practicing. The younger one never knew he was smiling in his sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You're sure he can do this."

The Japanese pilot was skeptical at best.

Meaning he was one nanosecond away from pulling the whole thing.

"He'll do fine, Yui. He's a pilot, he's trained to back out if he can't do something."

"Hn."

As they walked up to the club, dressed as civilian teens, they were met with a mash of people blocking up the doors. Music was playing in the club and one particular voice drifting out to them as the newest song started.

_We've been seeing what you wanted,  
Got us cornered right now  
Falling asleep from our vanity  
May cost us our lives_

"I see you're speechless, Yui."

The Chinese youth was treated to the sight of a startled Wing pilot.

Hell must have frozen over.

Quatre and Trowa were looking rather surprised as well.

_I hear them getting closer_

_Their howls are sending chills down my spine  
And time is running out now,  
They're coming down the hills from behind_

"I think my point is proven."

"Hn!"

"Well then, let's go, shall we?"

"You do know we're here for a mission, right?"

"Of course, but nothing says we can't have a bit of fun while doing it. I mean Duo's up there, having a blast by the looks of it. Nothing says we can't have a bit of fun while getting what we came for."

"Hn."

Only Wufei noticed the dark-haired woman standing near them, smiling and nodding her head in acknowledgement before turning her attention back to the stage. She practically glowed with… was that pride… at the braided pilot's performance.

Frowning slightly he turned to the others, trying to draw their attention to her.

When he looked back she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He couldn't help but grin as he sang on stage. Originally he'd been a nervous wreck! Not that you could tell or anything of course. But now this was perfect. The music, the beat, it all just flowed through him smoother than the blood in his veins.

And he spotter Her out there.

She was smiling and she looked so content.

If the pilots thought he'd been putting his heart into the music before, it was nothing compared to now.


	11. CH 10 Can't Win

AN: Sorry for the delay, RL bit me in the arse. I came back from the holiday weekend to find out three people I knew had passed away. It took a little while for my muse to come back out of hiding. I hope this is up to standard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*

"_Kingy, Kingy, down one more!"_

"_Poor ol' King can't win no more."_

Click. Whirrrrrrrr. Poppop. Click.

"_Kingy, Kingy, down one more!"_

"_Poor ol' King can't win no more."_

Click. Whirrrrrrrr. Poppop. Click.

"_Kingy, Kingy, down one more!"_

"_Poor ol' King can't win no more."_

The Seer sat back against the wall, watching as her brother furiously rewound the tape to listen again. Brother was furious. Absolutely livid.

She smiled.

The Pain would be so pretty….

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Has anyone else noticed anything strange about Duo lately?"

"Besides the fact he exists?"

Quatre gave the Chinese pilot a 'look'. The other two merely gave the blonde a glance to continue.

"Every day he vanishes for at least an hour and when he comes back there's always at least one crow with him. Usually two or three!"

"Hn."

Trowa and Heero had contemplative looks on their faces. Trowa's curious while the Wing pilot's…

"He's not a traitor, Yuy."

"Hn?"

Out of all the pilots, no one had really ever expected Wufei to be the one to jump to the braided menace's defense. Sighing, said youth took off his glasses and placed them on the table on top of his book.

"He's found ties to his past, and a little history about himself. It's new and special. He needs to figure it out for himself before he can share it with anyone, including us."

"But why wouldn't he feel comfortable sharing with us?"

"Winner, so long as it isn't hurting anyone, is it really any of our business how he grieves?"

The blonde pilot blushed faintly at that and moved to sit next to his now-boyfriend, cuddling up to the uni-banged pilot's side and letting his arm settle over his shoulders.

Yuy gave him a menacing look which he met, an entire conversation shared in that look. Finally, giving a small nod he turned back to his laptop. Duo was trustworthy still.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The mission was supposed to be easy in, easy out.

Didn't Duo say something about that being a warning sign for impending doom?

He really should have listened. Now here he was in an enemy cell, impressively bruised and waiting for the 'real' questioning to begin.

_BOOM!_

"What?"

Slowly he got to his feet and took a defensive stance. They had numbers on their side but he was still a Gundam pilot. He was about to attack whomever it was opening the door until he heard a hesitant "03?"

"02?"

"Yeah, you ok to move? We've got a little time but not much."

"Who's covering?"

"….."

"02?"

"Just… trust me on this. Got no one better to cover us."

The tall one remained silent, following the braided boy down the halls and out.

But he had to wonder…

Why were the hallways completely silent?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"_Are you Mr. Charlie?_"

"It's Charles Lanworth, brat. Where are you?"

He didn't have time for this. As a Speaker for the government he had a long list of responsibilities that needed to be seen to.

Not to mention his… side projects.

"_You've been bad, Mr. Charlie_."

"That's **Lanworth**! And bad? Who the hell do you think you're talking to!?"

"_Makin' people vanish like they weren't never there. Supposed to let people be r'membered._"

"The only people I 'vanished' were criminals that would have hurt others. Now where are you!?"

This brat was getting on his last nerve. If this kept up he'd be late for his meeting.

"_Then how do you e'splain Erik and Sarah?"_

"Who?"

"_My bestest friends. Little Bird's mommy and daddy_. _You made them vanish like no one never knew 'em."_

"They must have been evil then."

"_No they weren't_."

He stopped his furious searching of the room. The child should have started a petulant rant, not stated the objection calmly.

"_But you, Mr. Charlie. You are_."

A shiver raced down his spine. The little girl's voice was gone, replaced with a death rattle. He couldn't get warm, it was like someone was treading on his grave.

"_Little Dark Horror  
Stood in a corner,  
Eyeing a man to die."_

It felt freezing now, fear gluing him to the spot.  
"_She stuck in her thumb_"

He choked, looking down in horror at the small hand thrust into his chest.  
"_And pulled out a plum_,"

The hand pulled back, dragging his heart with it.  
"_And said, "What a good girl am I!"_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo could only stare at the newspaper. Another dead body found near a pile of papers connecting the man to Mephisto's work.

He'd bet nuts to 'Scythe the body had been covered in black feathers too.


	12. CH 11 Rare Warning

**AN:** The story of how the crow turned black is an actual story found in Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear. If you want to know anything about Native American mythology it's a great place to start.

I know this is a bit short, but it's what I can get out with my computer being down. Enjoy and watch for V-Day specials coming in 2 weeks!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"_Shini had a wicked Bird_

_Her feathers black as night_

_And everywhere that Shini went_

_His Bird would cause a Fright!"_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Treize cursed as the rhyme came over the security speakers. He'd already lost a fair number of upper ranked officers to the murder, all found with black feathers at the scene. There didn't seem to be any real connection between any of the victims.

At least none that he'd found as of yet.

He noticed the guards that followed him and heard them fall behind. He didn't care, he wanted to catch this person now, before they had a chance to escape.

He wasn't expecting the scene he found.

~*~*~*~

She had timed this to the second, planning on him finding her here.

If she hadn't wanted to be found she never would.

Slowly, deliberately she rose from her place next to the body, not turning to look at the figure in the doorway.

"Hello, General Treize Kushrenada."

~*~*~*~

The woman was small, slight even, all darkness and shadows in the dimly lit room. Near her feet was the body of another officer, barely visible in the shadow of the large desk.

Curbing his anger and indignation he drew his sword, resting the blade against the woman's neck.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

His inflection made the question a demand.

"A wicked black bird, that's really all you need to know about me. And him… well, he shouldn't have been covering for a mass murderer."

"Really?"

He felt more than heard her slight scoff at his disbelief.

"Yes, the files are on his desk. I really thought you'd have caught on long before now. He was one of a number helping Mephisto cover his tail."

She allowed herself a smirk when she felt him twitch in apprehension.

"You have to be lying."

"I'm not. The files are there, carefully dug out and displayed, his crimes easy to see."

"How would you know they were even there, unless you were helping him."

"Or unless I've witnessed the events myself."

"Why not go to the authorities?"

"You mean like him?"

Treize was uncertain now. She was calm and relaxed, completely at ease with the situation. And he could not find reason to fault her. Still, it was beginning to dawn on him that the guards that had been following him should have been here by now.

"They won't come."

It was eerie how she could seem to anticipate his line of thought.

"Oh? Did you do something to them?"

"No, they just won't come. This is a private event after all."

"So what do you plan to do then?"

"You should be grateful, not everyone gets a warning when they tread too close to the line."

"The line?"

"Yes, between acting in accordance with what they believe is right, and edging into the abyss of power-lust. You Lady and your Count also tarry close, but not quite as close as you."

"Who are you to judge me?"

"Someone who has seen the end before and realizes how closely you are to falling."

She turned to look at him then, and he could not find words for the knowledge that seemed to burn in her eyes. He could not break that black gaze, endless as the void outside the colony.

"You have the respect of two of the strongest warriors of your time. Ones who walk the line daily yet refuse to fall and fail. You may have enemies, but I am not one you wish to have. Beware, Treize Kushrenada, the crows are watching you!"

By the time he was able to gather his wits she had vanished and the body was covered in black feathers.

Resolving himself he looked through the file she'd left behind on the man's desk.

Each murder's files would be completely readdressed to make sure information like this was not 'sorted' improperly again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Duo!"

"Yeah, Quat?"

"I found a book you might like in the library. Here!"

"Flying with the Eagles, Racing the Great Bear?"

"It's all Native American myths, has some interesting stories I thought you might like."

"Thanks, Q-Bean! I'll read it once I'm done with Scythe's upgrade!"

The blonde pilot smiled and waved before leaving the hanger. He was glad Duo liked the find.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"_Caw_?"

He didn't know how, but the bird's caw actually sounded confused. And it was tapping rather insistently at a page in the book Quatre had lent him.

"What, you want me to read it to you?"

"_Caw!_" The bird on a nearby branch started to hop and flutter its wings a bit.

"Ok, ok! I can take a hint!" Laughing he waited until the crow was settled closer before starting to read.

"_The crow was not always as we know it now. Once the crow was much larger. Large enough to scare the bison, and white as new snow. The crow would take delight in scaring the herd when hunters went to gather food, and the hunters grew more and more frustrated with each hunt…_"

As Duo read on neither he nor the bird noticed the figure standing nearby, nor the bemused smile on his face as the braided pilot read folk tales to a crow. And none of them noticed the woman perched in the tree, smiling at the lot of them.


	13. CH 12 Coddle

He watched as his sister giggled and spun in place in glee. He had no idea what made her so happy but he was more than willing to go with it if it made her get that lovely manic gleam in her eye.

"The Pretty Bird is sad."

"Oh?"

"Oh yes, crying on the inside for all the little eggs smashed to bits and his Cub howls where no one can hear."

"Hmm, sounds lovely."

"Oh yes, the Cub howls and cries and the Bird only sings in mourning."

"I'll have to get him to sing for you privately soon, sister."

"You will and the song will be so full of Pain."

The woman grinned as her brother laughed, full of malice and dreaming of the Torture to come.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_It is said that crows were once white and scared the great herds away from the hunters. Then the Crow was caught by Man and hung over a smoking fire to wait while they decided the Crow's punishment. Crow's lovely white feathers turned black and slowly the heat shrunk the Crow and he was able to escape. The Crow thought his escape a lovely trick and he flew to the herd to scare it far from the Hunters. But the herd was no longer afraid of the crow, for now he was small and black. Still the People told stories warning of the Crow regaining his former size. And greater warning still, for when the Crow was again White._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero stood in his room, trying to keep from going into shock. Doctor J had done this to him once before. This 'retraining' when he thought his pilot was going soft. Sent out without the full information and showing what a bleeding heart could amount to on the battle field.

He had never wanted to destroy the doctor more.

A tug on his hand startled him. If J ever heard about that his retraining would be horrific.

"Come on 'Ro."

"Hn?"

"Bad mission all 'round. You shouldn't be by yourself tonight."

A Death Glare was aimed at the braided pilot. It must have been subpar since all that got him was a commiserating look.

"Come on. If anyone asks I'll just say I needed some comfort from my best bud tonight. That mission…" He broke off with a shudder, a haunted look in his eyes.

Heero didn't blame him.

And Duo never told lies.

If Duo needed him as an anchor too, he could live with that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"_My pretty Little Bird, sing a song for me,_

_Smile and please pray for me, in sweet reverie….._"

Quatre stopped in front of the door to the room Heero and Duo were sharing. As far as he knew Relena wasn't visiting, that voice certainly wasn't hers, and there weren't any women on the mech teams assigned to repair the Gundams. And what would one of them be doing in their room anyway!?

Slowly, he approached the door and opened it a crack to check on his two friends and the intruder. He saw the two of them, curled around each other like puppies. It was easy to pick up the warm sun and worn cotton of Duo and the slightly more subdued ozone and musty leaves of Heero. The figure seated against the headboard radiating dusty feathers and smoky copper was what startled him. Both pilots were using her lap as a pillow while she ran fingers through their hair and sang softly.

"_My pretty Little Bird, sing a song for me,"_

Opening the door more he moved to enter and confront the strange woman when she looked up and locked gazes with him.

His empathetic shields slammed open and he nearly staggered under the onslaught of _lovepainfearpaingreiflosslovepainhopeprotectprotect__**protect**_. She blinked and the rush was gone, her gaze back on the two pilots using her as a safety net.

Slowly he turned from the room, closing the door and stumbling down the hall to the room he shared with Trowa. He didn't say a thing as he fell into the taller boy's lap and let him wrap long arms around him, creating a shield from the world.

"Quatre?"

The blonde shook his head and tucked it under Trowa's chin. There really wasn't anything he could say about what he'd seen, what he'd felt.

There really wasn't anything he could say at all.

"_Just another chorus or please hum a melody."_


	14. CH 13 Broken Toy

**AN:** WOOT! Guess who's back!

* * *

Zechs rushed through the club, watching as the man he'd been tailing was making his way towards the back door, an inebriated woman tucked against his side. Treize had warned him that something was wrong with the reports coming from that sector.

Reports that failed to mention some rather brutal murders.

He had seen the woman come in earlier that night, alone. He had watched as she danced on the floor, a bit away from everyone else, drank by herself at the bar, keeping an eye on her drink.

No one knew he was there, or at least not his military persona. He'd come in as a regular clubber, tight clothes, thick makeup, loose morals.

The man slipped through the back door, the woman stumbling along at his side.

He hoped he wouldn't get there too late.

* * *

"That's it lovely, right this way. I'll get you that cab."

The man grinned, certain that this would be easy, and by morning he'd be satisfied again. The check from his benefactor would be coming soon after, he was sure.

Mephisto loved a good body count.

"Wrong, wrong, all again. You'll be caught a'fore night's end."

"Of course lovely, right down here."

Drunks turned out the most interesting turns of phrase lately. The tiny one tucked against his side was swaying dangerously as he guided her further away from the club and the street.

Really, if one didn't want to get picked up by a serial killer they should go to clubs dressed in tight black leather.

"_Trick the trickster, take the bag..._"

The man sighed and pulled the woman along faster, her feet stumbling and tripping before falling completely out from under her, forcing him to drop her or follow her to the pavement.

"_I'm the worst you'll never have_."

"I'm sure that's a lie, lovely. Here let me get you up."

He froze in place when the woman's face turned up.

He'd seen her in the club, pale with big dark eyes lined in kohl.

This… this mask was terrifying.

Skin white as bone, lips black lined with red. Black was painted over the tops of her eyes, lines from the centers coming down like a mockery of tear tracks.

The woman laughed and stood easily, almost too fluidly.

"_Naughty, naughty little boy, gone and broken all your toys_."

The woman, no monster, stalked closer as he tried to back away.

"_This one toy, you chose for naught_,"

She was at his front now, barely touching his chest with her fingers, colder than ice.

"'_Cause this dear toy, it's you she's caught_."

Her hands clenched around his face, thousands of images of women and death forced themselves into his mind, sharing what he'd given his victims.

"_You helped hurt Little Bird's mother. No mercy for you_."

The man screamed before going quiet.

Permanently.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zechs skidded to a stop at the sight that greeted him. The man, murderer, was on the ground, blank eyes staring at the sky, the woman who'd been swaying drunkenly standing casually as if there weren't a dead body in front of her.

"What did you do?"

"He hurt Little Bird's mommy. No mercy for him."

The count flinched, the woman was obviously broken mentally. He wondered what she'd done to him.

"He's doing better now, your General. The line is not so close, though he should still be careful."

"What?"

"You though, you're getting dangerously close. A gentle push one way, and you could end up like Little Bird. Or a different push, and you're no better than him, if not worse."

The woman gestured to the body on the ground, still seeming not to care.

"Let me get you somewhere safe. I can get help for you."

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her face. The mask of pigment was horrifying, but it was the eyes that made him shiver in the over-hot night.

Reflected in her eyes was so much knowledge, pain, and anger. Green burned around the edges of black, turning what would be dead black to dark fire.

They were not the eyes of someone to be trifled with.

"Tell your General the Crow says hello, and to pick up the pace. He's still too far behind."

The Lightning Count blinked.

And she was gone.


	15. CH 14 Crossed the Line

_-You're not like the others you know.-_

_-And?-_

_-Most would have finished it by now.-_

_-Traversing the globe is one thing, the colonies are another. Much more space to run and more ways to do it.-_

_-Point.-_

_-What else?-_

_-You're changing. The longer you stay here the more you change.-_

_-How so?-_

_-Will it be enough when all is done?-_

_-It will have to be.-_

_-Why?-_

_-Because my Little Bird needs me.-_

_-He's a pilot.-_

_-Doesn't matter. He's still a boy too, and he needs me. I won't abandon him.-_

_-I just hope it's enough.-_

_-It will be.-_

_-You're not like the others, you know.-_

_-Always.-_

_

* * *

_

"It was said long ago that the crow would guide the spirits of the departed to the afterlife. But sometimes the spirit experienced something in life, so painful, so devastating that the soul can't rest. Then the crow will guide the soul back to make the wrong things right."

"Sir?"

"It's an old Earth legend, from before the Native peoples of the Americas finally dissolved the last tribes."

Treize Kushrenada stood from behind his desk, stepping slowly towards one of the windows of the grand old mansion, eyeing the rising storm and the dark birds taking flight over the woods.

"All the feathers from the murders came from one bird. There is no way one bird in their lifetime, let alone a year or two, could produce this many feathers. There is no trademark of cloning, and why clone a single bird for a trademark anyway? Very few people would even think to test the feathers, and fewer still would think the results significant."

"General?"

"We were warned, Zechs. You and I personally. And I think Lady Une will be visited soon as well if the pattern holds. No," he put up a hand as the Lightning Count stiffened, "not to kill her, but warn here. There is a line that is not to be crossed."

"So you believe the tale?"

"I have enough teachings of the world not to discount anything. You saw a petite woman, her face plain in one moment, then with that Death's Head paint moments later when she would never have had the time to apply it properly with that…. man right next to her. I saw that same woman one moment and then she vanished the next, between blinks. She was real and solid and bled when my sword nicked her. The drops of blood on the carpet proved that she was no hologram or drug induced hallucination."

"What aren't you saying?"

"I ran a test on the blood sample left behind."

"And?"

"The DNA matches one of Mephisto's victims, the one they couldn't identify."

Zechs Merquise stiffened as a chill ran up his spine. At the window a crow cawed, a single black feather floating in to land softly on the desk.

Maybe it was time he started believing too.

* * *

_The line's been crossed_

_And now you're lost._

_No more ignore the crime_

Lady Une stopped in her tracks, turning slowly, looking for the source of the childish voice. She would not fall for tricks like so many others. There were logical reasons for everything, mystical explanations were the product of too much free time and too much drink.

At least, she thought so.

_I warned you once_

_You've lost your voice_

_And now you'll do the time._

She shrieked as a hand darted out, touching her face and dozens of images flooded her mind, people, places, deaths, horrors that her own hands had made.

"Ok, Nice Lady, buh-bye!"

A dark, petite woman walked out of the military base as the commander went silent and her mind broke in two.


End file.
